Signed in Blood
by Yuri-san
Summary: A letter from the past informs Harry that his dead mother, Lily, promised him to another in an arranged marriage before he and his spousetobe were even born. Slight OOTP spoilers. HPxDM Chapter 9 UP!
1. Letter from the Past

Signed in Blood

A.N. -ducks and covers- Don't KILL MEEE! I know! I'm such a bad person, I started ANOTHER one! If any of my Fruits Basket fans are reading this, I'M VERY VERY SOOOORRY! I'm trying to post (and finish) all of my post-OOTP fics because I have a feeling that by July 16th, they'll all be obsolete -sobs for her stories- (HBP-does a happy-dance- YAY! HBP!) So, stick with me ok-backs away form all of the people with sharp-pointy objects- WAH! I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie! WAI! GOMEN NASAI-runs away-

Side note: The Patriots WON! Ohhhh YEAH!

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Chapter 1- Letter from the Past 

The air was chilly and there were signs everywhere that showed that snow would soon be on it's way, though it was the middle of summer. July 31st to be precise. Harry Potter's 16th birthday.

Harry sat in a cushy armchair in the den of 12 Grimmauld Place, just savoring the feeling of being content. Since Sirius had died, he had been surrounded by supportive and loving people. The very same people who had thrown him a surprise birthday party that was nothing short of wonderful.

Harry stood up when he heard footsteps. Remus Lupin had just entered the room holding Harry's snowy owl, Hedwig, who bore a letter and was covered in actual snow.

"I let her in through the kitchen," Remus explained. "It's started snowing. Odd weather we're having..."

"Yes, very," Harry agreed as Hedwig hopped form Remus's arm onto Harry's and patiently allowed her owner to untie the letter from her leg.

"Who's it from?" Remus asked.

"Dunno" Harry answered, turning the letter over a few times. "It has no return address, just my name..."

Remus looked at the letter in Harry's hands. "Wait, I know that..." he trailed off. "Here, I'll go feed Hedwig."

Harry looked at Remus quizzically as the man quickly tookHedwig and left. He shrugged and sat back down.

Harry inspected the envelope before opening it. It looked very old, and in shiny green feminine calligraphy simply said, 'Harry Potter.' He carefully opened the envelope and drew out the letter, which was also in green calligraphy. It read:

_Harry,  
__  
__This is your mother, Lily. If you are reading this, then I am dead. Happy 16th birthday, sweetie. I have something very important and scary to tell you, but first, the background._

_I was raised in a time when pureblooded wizards arranged marriages for their sons and daughters as soon as they were born, often times before then. I, as a Muggle-born witch,was not bound by any such agreement. Amazingly, neither was James (your father)._

_Lucius Malfoy was promised to one Narcissa Black. Both were from wealthy pureblooded families. That did not stop Lucius from having mistresses. Or from chasing other women. I must admit, Lucius chased me, and though I ran, I was caught._

_I loved your father very much and I wanted to remain pure for him. I told Lucius that I would promise him anything, so long as he didn't rape me._

_I did an awful thing my son. I promised, in blood, that my first born child (male or female) would marry his first born child (male or female)._

_You must understand, a blood promise is not to be taken lightly. To break one means the loss of one's immortal soul, even after death. That poor soul is tortured for all of eternity._

_I'm sorry my son, I'm sorry. The choice is yours. I love you._

_Lily Potter_

Harry let the letter float to the ground. This couldn't be right. His mother- his perfect angelic mother who sacrificed her life for his would never do something like this. He had to talk to someone. Remus.

Harry picked up the letter and headed into the kitchen.

Remus was standing with his back turned to Harry. He was staring up at the ceiling. "She told you then?" he asked as he ran his fingers through his longish chestnut brown hair. "Lily, I mean."

For the second time that night, Harry dropped the letter in shock. "You... knew...?"

Remus turned to look at him. "Yes. I was the only one Lily confided in besides Narcissa Black- I mean Malfoy. She didn't tell Siri and she most definitely did not tell James. We were her sole confidents."

"It's not fair," Harry whispered.

"I know," said Remus as he drew Harry into a hug, as he had done many times since the closest thing that either one of them had had to a family had died. "I've already spoken with Narcissa," he said softly. "They're expecting you at the Malfoy Manor in two hours. You'll spend the rest of your break there if you so choose. It is your choice you know."

"My mother," Harry said. "I'll do it for my mother."

"You'd better go pack then," Remus said, releasing the younger boy.

"Yeah... I guess so..."

-tbc-

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	2. New Homes and Photographs

A.N OMG! Two days and I already have 12 reviews! I LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU'RE THE BEST! I LOVE YOU!

Eh-heh-heh-heh... -scratches head- I forgot... no WAIT! I remember now! this chapter and the next were originally one BIG chapter, but it was too long, so I split it into what is now Ch. 2- New Homes and Photographs and Ch.3 Chocolate Kisses and Memories. Just so's ya know...

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Chapter 2- New Homes and Photographs 

No one was there to see Harry off but Remus. Harry sighed. Remus had been a better friend to him than anyone lately. Since Sirius had died, they had... bonded somehow.

"I though it best not to tell anyone," Remus said. "I don't think they'd understand."

"No, I guess they wouldn't," Harry said sadly. He wondered what kind of lie Hermione and the Weasleys would be fed in the morning.

"I'll write," Remus promised with a hug. "And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't hate her please. Your mother I mean. She did it because she loved your father. She cried for days after it happened," Remus said.

"I won't hate her" Harry promised. "I could never hate her." He paused, then hugged Remus again. "Visit me sometime. And... tell everyone I said good-bye..."

"I will," said Remus. "You'll... you'll be comfortable there... What with Lucius gone, you'll be safe too. I wish Lucius would get what he deserved. Azkaban is too good for an asshole like him." Harry raised an eyebrow. Remus cussing? "Anyway, Narcissa is a kind and reasonable woman. She'll... take care of you..."

Harry shifted his weight nervously. "I... guess I'd better go..."

"Yes, yes I suppose. Good-bye Harry."

"Bye." Harry glanced one last time around the familiar room, then, grabbing a fistful of Floo powder and throwing it into the fireplace, he said clearly,"Malfoy Manor," and disappeared into the green flames.

* * *

Harry stepped cautiously out of the fireplace that he had arrived in in the Malfoy Manor with his trunk securely at his side. A vaguely familiar person greeted him. It was Narcissa Malfoy. She was dressed in a black silk blouse with the top button open and a knee-length skirt. Her golden hair was wound in tight corkscrew curls that fell down past her shoulders and her baby blue eyes had a certain twinkle that they had not had before when Harry had seen her at the Quidditch match before fourth year. 

"Hi Mrs. Malfoy," Harry said nervously.

"Hello Harry. Call me Narcissa," the woman said. "'Mrs. Malfoy' makes me sound old."

"Oookay..."

"Now then, why don't we see if we can't get someone to help you with your trunk and show you to your room," Narcissa said.

""Ummm..." Harry hesitated. "I can take my trunk up myself. "

"Oh. Well, suit yourself," she answered. "Dracie!" she called.

Draco appeared at the door. Apparently he could Apparate, whether it was _legal_ or not..."Yes, mother?"

"Show our guest to his room, would you?"

Draco scowled but answered dutifully"_Yes_, mother. C'mon _Potter,_" he growled.

Harry glanced from Draco to Narcissa. Narcissa smiled and motioned for him to follow her son. "Alright," he said reluctantly and followed Draco out of the room.

Narcissa sighed. You can bring them together, but you can't make them _like_ it. What more could a girl do?

* * *

Draco led Harry up an elegant staircase and through a well-lit hall in silence. He stopped in front of one of the numerous doors, and drawing a key out of his pocket, unlocked it. "This is your room," he said shortly. 

"Ummm, thanks," Harry said. Might as well be polite. After all, what harm could it do?

"Here's your key. Mother has the only other key."

"Right." Harry hauled his trunk into his room and Draco shut his door and left.

The room was quite large an luxurious. There was a large four-poster bed and the room had an adjoining bathroom of it's very own, but none of those things caught Harry's attention quite like a framed picture that hung on the wall. It showed Narcissa, Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus when they were all still at Hogwarts. James and Sirius were grinning and waving at him, Remus was smiling softly, and Narcissa was comforting Lily, who had her hands over her face and was crying.

"Don't cry mum," Harry whispered. "I'm o.k. I forgive you. I still love you." Lily looked up at him, then rushed out of the picture. Narcissa followed her with Remus in tow leaving James and Sirius grinning and waving like clueless idiots.

Harry turned from the picture and flopped down on his cushy bed. After a few silent minutes, he noticed an envelope on his side table. It was addressed to him.

He opened it slowly part of the way, then dropped it onto the bed in shock as it began opening itself. Above the now open envelope floated a hologram of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Hello, Harry," she said. "I hope you like your room. I tried to make it as comfortable as I possibly could. See the mirror on the side table?" She paused, allowing Harry time to pick up a small pocket mirror off of the side table.

"I don't know if you've ever used a charmed mirror before, so I'll explain. If you ever want to talk to me, and cannot find me, just speak my name into the mirror and I will answer if I am available. Oh, and you shall have to ask for Narcissa _Black_, not Malfoy, because I had the mirrors charmed before I married Lucius.

"I'm very sorry that you have to be in this awkward arrangement. My husband is a very cruel and stubborn man. I begged for him to meet with your mother and nullify the contract, but he firmly refused.

"That brings up another matter. If you wish to speak with your mother, I can arrange it.

"Feel free to explore the grounds. Draco can show you around if you so wish. I assume that you've already eaten and would like to sleep, so I'll end there. If you need me for anything, just use the mirror." And with that the hologram of Narcissa disappeared back into the envelope, which resealed itself and proceeded to fold in upon itself until it too disappeared.

Harry turned the small mirror over in his hand several times, then spoke into it. "Narcissa Black," he said firmly. The mirror buzzed for several seconds, then Narcissa's face appeared.

"Hello, Harry," she said. "I suppose you found the holo-letter, then"

"Yes, I did. The room is very nice, thank-you," he said.

"Oh, you're welcome. The mirror works alright then? I wasn't sure it would. I really haven't used either of them since your mother and I graduated."

"Yeah, it works great. I already knew how to use it, though. Sirius gave me one last year." Harry paused. "You said I could talk to my mother?"

"Mmm, yes," said Narcissa with a nod. "Why don't you join me in the dining room? It's down the staircase and to the left. We can talk more when you get here."

Harry nodded. "I'll be down in a minute." The mirror went blank.

-tbc-

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Well? Well? How was it? Review!(please) 

TheSecretCharacter: I read your profile and I'd like to hear more about your theories if it's no inconvenience.


	3. Chocolate Kisses and Memories

A.N. WOW. An overwhelming amount of people wanted me to update this... -sweatdrop- eh-heh-heh... Right. I am very - pained- to announce that neither this chapter, nor the next, focus on Draco, but the 5th chapter does, I SWEAR!

vherie: Heh-heh.. I meant Hedwig... sorry. (though I personally wouldn't mind more Remus') Thanks for telling me about that error.

fatlazikat : Yeah, I'm trying to update more quickly (I'm usually rather slooooow)

Ryo-sama: Thanks Ryo. You save me again. Sorry that I don't review too much, but I still love you!

lita-2003: Ta-da. One chapter, nice and fresh!

Arwen Rayne: Yes, I took care of that ummm, out burst of mine. Won't happen again. I'm glad I have people to keep me in line :)

The-Ever-Lazy-One: Ummm... Draco will be explained, I swear (It may take awhile though...) Narcissa is more of a friend to Harry really, but you'll understand after this chapter. Yay! I'm respected! Umm, I try my hardest to purge my chapters of grammatical errors, but if you spot something, don't hesitate to point it out.

TheSecretCharacter: Oh, ALL of them please. E-mail me. (I like the way you think)

Kitty Maxwell-Yuy: Oh, yes. All will be revealed... I love making Narcissa nice... it's so ...easy.

-  
Chapter 3- Chocolate Kisses and Memories

When Harry reached the dining room, he was surprised to find it utterly empty. "Narcissa?" he called.

"In here," Narcissa's voice came from the kitchen.

Harry pushed open the door and was shocked to see Narcissa with an apron on and her curly blonde hair pinned delicately back.

"Grab an apron and a spoon," she said pointing her spoon over towards a spare apron. "I'm making cookies," she explained to the befuddled boy as she scooped a spoonful of dough onto a cookie sheet.

"Ummm... ok," said Harry as he tied the apron.

"You look surprised," Narcissa said after spotting Harry gaping at the Muggle oven. "There's a reason I do it this way," she assured him. "Here's a spoon. Scoop." Harry nodded and dug his spoon into the dough

"When I was still in school, I spent a good portion of my breaks away from my own house. I would always, since third year, spend a few weeks at Lily's house. Now, as you know, your mother was Muggle-born, so when we were at her house, we had to do everything the Muggle way. One rainy afternoon...

-flashback-

_It had been raining heavily since early that morning, so Lily and Narcissa were stuck inside. Both girls were busy flipping through magazines on Lily's bed._

_Lily looked up abruptly. "Narcissa?" she asked._

_Narcissa looked up at her friend. "Hmm?"_

_"Let's make cookies!"_

_"What?"_

_"Oh, c'mon." Lily urged. "Petunia's over at a friends house, so she won't be in the way. Besides, we have nothing better to do and mum won't mind."_

_"Welllll... I guess so..." Narcissa said, closing her magazine._

_Lily and Narcissa went downstairs and into the kitchen, where Lily began taking the ingredients out of various cupboards._

_"So," Narcissa began," what kind of cookies are we making?"_

_"Peanut butter of course," Lily answered as though it should have been obvious. "With chocolate kisses on top. Anyway, James Potter asked me out again on the train."_

_"Yum," Narcissa said. "The kisses, not Potter. So this makes, what, the ten thousandth time?"_

_"Just about," said Lily with a nod. "Get me the milk would ya? Thanks. So...?"_

_"So what?" Narcissa asked as she handed over the milk. "You could do worse than James Potter."_

_Lily cast her friend a skeptical sidelong glance. "Oh yeah? Like who?"_

_"Plenty of people," Narcissa assured her. "Now stand still so I can tie your apron. It came undone."_

_"Example?"_

_"Oh, fine! Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape... my fiancee... Sirius Black... Narcissa paused to unwrap and chocolate and popped it into her mouth._

_"EWW! I would so never date your cousin!" Lily squealed. "And quit eating the ingredients. Besides, more than half of your examples are invalid. Black doesn't like me, Snape doesn't like me, Malfoy doesn't like me...thank God. What's it like being engaged to a creep?"_

_"Uh-uh," Narcissa said, eating another chocolate and giving one to Lily. "You're changing the subject. Snape is in love with you. My God! You know the other day when it was really hot and we'd all undone the top button or two on our shirts?"_

_"Yes, I remember. Why?"_

_"Welllllll... on Potions, when you bent down to get your quill, Snape got a nice glimpse down you shirt. He looked like he wanted to jump you and rape you right there in class."_

_"EWW! NO! Gross! That is sooo wrong!"_

_Narcissa grinned. "Wanna try and invalidate anymore of my examples?"_

_"Malfoy."_

_"Ugh, Don't even get me started. I swear, he's dangerous. Lucius wants you Lills You should be careful," Narcissa warned._

_Lily raised an eyebrow. "Wow, so serious Cissa."_

_"I'm very serious."_

_"Alright. Avoid Lucius Malfoy," Lily said. "There. It's on my mental to-do list. Like it wasn't already anyways... One more year and I'll never have to see him again."_

_"Except when you visit me," Narcissa reminded her. "I have to marry the jerk, remember?"_

_"Ewww, yeah. What about kids?"_

_Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Heirs. Don't even remind me. I hope I have a girl, though. At least one."_

_"Me too," Lily sighed. "I'd name her 'Heather'."_

_"Mmm... that's a pretty name," Narcissa said. _

_"Yes, Lily said," it is, isn't it? Hey! Let's make a promise!"_

_"Huh? Promise?"_

_"Yeah! Whichever of us has a girl first, we'll name her 'Heather'," said Lily._

_Narcissa thought for a moment. "O.k... hmmm... Heather Lily Malfoy."_

"Lily?" Lily asked.

_"Yep. It sounds good with 'Heather'."_

_"Heather Lily.." Lily paused, realizing that she didn't have a last name to give her future baby._

_"Potter," Narcissa finished for her._

_"Cissa!"_

_"Admit it," Narcissa said. "He's funny and good looking..."_

_Lily nodded, blushing. "Heather Lily... Potter," she whispered._

-end flashback-

Narcissa laughed out loud."We ended up eating more of the kisses than ended up getting put on cookies. At least half of our cookies were chocolate-less."

"Sooo.. there never was a 'Heather Lily', then...?" Harry asked.

"Weeellll... yes... no.. sort of.." said Narcissa.

"What do you mean sort of?" Harry asked. "Both of you only ever one son."

"Actually, no," Narcissa said. Harry looked up at her in shock. "My first born was a girl. A beautiful little girl. Her first name was Heather, as Lily and I had promised way back in sixth year. I desperately wanted her middle name to be 'Lily', after your mother, my best friend, of course, but I knew Lucius wouldn't allow it, so her middle name was 'Rose'."

"What happened to her?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"She was born with a severe and rare magical disease," Narcissa explained, her pretty voice wavering. "We knew that she wouldn't live very long. She died at two and a half, nine days before Draco was born."

Harry considered this. "So.. I should have married_ her_..."

Narcissa nodded, wiped her damp eyes and removed the golden-brown cookies from the oven. "Yes, well, part of the promise was that if the first born of either individual should die, it would fall to the second born and so on until someone from one family _eventually _married someone form the other family."

"How'd... Draco... react to the news?" Harry asked, mentally flinching as he said 'Draco'. He couldn't rightly call him 'Malfoy' to Narcissa, now could he?

Narcissa chuckled. "Oh, he was _furious_. Wouldn't talk to me for a week or two after I told him He still sulks and locks himself in his room quite often. Here, now. The cookies are cool enough to put the kisses on top."

Harry sighed. "So he's moody then?"

"Oh, yes," Narcissa answered. "Very. You, on the other hand, seem to be taking this quite well."

"Oh, yes, _marvelously_ well," Harry said sarcastically. "After this, I'll probably lock myself in my room and refuse to come out for _days_."

Narcissa giggled. "Well, now, at least you're honest. You may get rather hungry though. I'll arrange to have your meals brought up to you."

Harry gawked at her. "You take all the fun out of sulking!"

Narcissa grinned and ate another chocolate. "I know. But really, you're taking this whole arranged marriage thing rather well."

"I don't think it's had time to sink in yet," said Harry with a forlorn sigh. "I'm going to bed."

"Alright. Here, take some cookies with you," Narcissa said, handing Harry a couple of cookies on a napkin. "OH! We never talked about you speaking to your mother, now did we? Oh well, I'll tell you tomorrow when I bring you breakfast, ok?"

Harry nodded. "I suppose I can wait."

"Good night Harry. And... Happy Birthday."

-tbc-


	4. Not So Alone

A.N Oh my gosh-squeal- You guys are the most supportive lot I've ever met! I LOVE you guys- no, seriously, I do. I'm glad you guys liked my Narcissa. I'm so happy that people are actually reading this, I could cry... but I won't, not now at least, because I'm in the middle of class and I have a chapter to write for you guys. Reviews just, I dunno, make me want to update faster for some reason. -shrug- ONWARD (to victory)!

FYI: This chapter is on the first of August. Keep that in mind.

Chapter 4- Not So Alone

Harry had already been awake (but still laying in bed) for awhile when someone knocked on his door. "Who is it?" he called.

"Me," Narcissa called back. "I brought you breakfast. Could you open the door?"

"Just a second!" Harry answered as he leapt out of bed and hurried into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then he opened the door.

Narcissa walked in and set the tray down on Harry's desk It had a plate of pancakes with maple syrup on it and a glass of juice. "I hope you like them with chocolate chips," Narcissa said, gesturing to the pancakes.

Harry nodded eagerly, sat down at the desk and moved the tray to his lap so that he could eat while facing Narcissa. "Cook with a lot of chocolate, don't you?"

"Medicine for the soul," Narcissa answered. With a flick of her wand the curtains opened and a chair appeared for Narcissa to sit in. "Go ahead and eat. I'll explain about your mother."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He cut into the steaming pancakes immediately.

"I take it you do want to see her then?" Narcissa asked. Harry nodded enthusiastically. "And you want to know how that's possible?"

Harry swallowed his bite. "Yeah, Hey, these are really good!"

Narcissa smiled. "I'm glad you think so. Now, here's the deal. After a person dies and their soul moves on, there's a 'probation period' of fifteen years that that soul must wait before it can even _think_ about coming into any sort of contact with the living."

"So I can't see Sirius?" Harry interrupted.

"Um, no. I'm afraid not."

"But I can see my father too, right?"

"Well..." Narcissa hesitated. "No. Contact with the living is a privilege given for good behavior. Your father was a bit... _rambunctious_ after dying, so he has to wait a bit longer than your more peaceful mother."

"So how does it work?" Harry asked.

"Well," Narcissa started. "It's an intricate spell, that, among other things, requires a circle of salt to confine the summoned soul and a possession of the deceased that you are summoning. The possession is to anchor the soul here for a brief amount of time."

"How brief?"

"Five to ten minutes tops. But anyway, since you and her are related, you could just use some of your blood if you so choose. There's a catch though," Narcissa said.

Harry hesitated. "Catch?" he asked, setting the empty tray aside.

"Several actually," Narcissa admitted. "The first is, it can only be done on a new moon. The second is, only the summoner can see and hear the spirit and third, the longer the spirit is anchored, the more energy is drained from the the summoner. You try and hold on too long and you may just find yourself joining your dearly departed."

"Sounds dangerous," said Harry.

"Very," Narcissa agreed. "Do you still want to try it?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied. "When?"

"Next new moon is the fifth."

* * *

Harry decided, after an hour's worth of locking himself on his room, that sulking did not particulary suit him. So he decided to explore a bit. 

He hadn't gotten very far down the hall when he came across something most unexpected- or someone rather. Actually, two someones is more accurate, though the second individual wasn't immediately visible.

The boy stopped a good ten or twenty feet from Harry. He was roughly Harry's age and had short raven black hair and piercing blue eyes. "What are you, hired help?" he asked, his already intense dislike for Harry showing on his otherwise handsome face.

The girl marched up from behind her brother and pushed him aside as she headed straight towards Harry. "Don't be daft Jon," she told him loftily. She stopped right in front of Harry and stared deeply into his emerald green eyes. "You must be Harry Potter," she said, extending her manicured hand toward him. "I'm Jordan, that airhead is Jonathan, and my other brother, who is currently MIA, is Jesse. Me an' Jon are twins. Jesse's older."

"Nice to meet you," Harry murmured as he shook the confident girl's hand. He had been a little thrown off, not by Jordan's boldness, but by her eyes. They were a deep shade of violet that went nicely with her long jet black hair.

"Don't be stupid," Jon told his sister. "That's not Harry Potter. Why would he be here?"

"Is so," Jordan insisted. "He's definately got Lily's eyes. You've seen Auntie's pictures too. It is so him. Besides," she reached out and held Harry's bangs out of the way, "see the scar?"

"Auntie?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Oh, yes," Jordan said. "Narcissa is our aunt."

"Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange are our parents," said someone from behind Harry. Harry whirled around. Behind him stood a tall man. His waist-length black hair was tied back and his longish bangs fell in front of his violet eyes. In one hand he held a book, in the other he held reading glasses. "We're staying here while they're in Azkaban."

"Not that Jesse needs to," Jordan said hurridly. "He's 21, after all. He just likes the enourmous library and Auntie's cooking. Plus, he's a bit of a scatterbrain," she added in a whisper.

"I got lost on the way to the library again," said Jesses distractedly.

"Case in point," Jordan whispered. To Jon she said, "show Jesse to the library, would ya? I'm gonna give Harry the grand tour!" When Jon muttered under his breath, she added, "Unless you'd rather trade...?" Jon shook his head and escorted his directionally-challenged brother away.

"And off we go!" said Jordan enthusiastically.

-tbc-

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	5. Journals

A.N. This is the Draco chapter that you've all been waiting for. It's not much... Sorry. I'm pretty sure most of you will forgive me when you read ch 6 though XP.. Hee-hee... This is pretty much just Draco's "journal" (it's really a diary, but Dracie's in denial...) and I threw in a few entries from Jordan's diary too, just to give you another P.O.V. Oh, and the entries skip about a bit... (sorry it's a bit short...)

dracochick: Thanks for catching those errors for me. I was typing SUPER fast so that I could get to my next class on time AND still be able to update for you guys, so I missed some things (and was still late for class -sweatdrop-). MIA stand for missing in action. (OF COURSE Tom Felton is hot! To die for... -dies- just kidding.)

The-Ever-Lazy-One: Close your eyes and imagine this. James and Lily dying and then James finding out that his only son is going to be raised by wizard-hating evil Muggles. See there? That's the part where James starts hurting people.

ura-hd: You want Draco? Here he is... no touchie though, just lookie (or readie).. lol.

* * *

Chapter 5- Journals 

Draco's Journal:

July 2nd  
_  
Mother suggested that I keep this journal as a way to "vent my anger". What anger? Anger towards what? I suspect that there's something that she's not telling me._

_Jordan, Jonathan and Jesse Lestrange arrived today. They'll be staying here _again_ while Bellatrix and Rodolphus are in Azkaban _again_ (with my idiot of a father)._

_Jordan and Jonathan are both pains really. I don't mind Jesse so much. He keeps to himself (and the library). Shame that he's the one who doesn't have to be here. The twins though- polar opposites, and I hate them both. Jordan's a hyper pain in the arse, and Jon's... just a pain in the arse period. Cocky bastard too. Reminds me of father._

July 5th

_I found out what "anger" mother thought I should express in this journal (she calls it a bloody _diary_.) I was right. She was hiding something. Something big. Really big. And she hasn't even told me all of it yet._

_I'm engaged. That's right. _Arranged marriage_. She said it wasn't her choice. Said it's not her fault, it's father's. I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm not sure if I believe her._

_I figured this would probably happen _eventually._ After all, father and mother were an arranged couple. At least if father has anything to do with it, she'll be a pure blood. We're undoubtedly related. If it's Jordan, I swear, I'll kill someone. Probably Jordan. I hope she's at least hot. My future wife, I mean, not Jordan (gag.)_

July 7th

_OH MY GOD_

July 9th

_Third day of locking myself in my room since that evil bitch I call "mother" ruined my entire life. Not that my asshole of a father didn't help, because he did, of course._

_I'm not marrying Jordan, oh no. I'm not even marrying a WOMAN. No, I'm getting married to a MAN and his name is HARRY POTTER. That's right. I'm marrying Harry bloody Potter!_

_Mark my words, someone will pay._

* * *

Jordan's Diary: 

July 2nd

_Dear Diary,_

_Today Jon an' Jess an' me arrived at the Malfoy Manor 'cause mum and dad are in prison_. _I had almost forgotten how really big it is. _

_Draco glared at me all day. I don't think he likes me very much. Jesse's very at home in the library once again and has gotten lost twice already. Jon's pacing in the hall and I already wen to go visit Chester (my strawberry roan) in the stable._

_Love Jordan_

July 9th

_Dear Diary,_

_Draco finally came out of his room today. He walked straight into the den and tried to curse Aunt Narcissa. Auntie locked him in his room and started to cry. I wonder what's going on?_

_There was a lot of yelling going on after dinner. Jesse said that it was grown-up stuff, but Draco was involved, and I'm older than he is... (?)_

_Love Jordan_

July 10th

_Dear Diary,_

_Auntie started crying again whole she was teaching me French, only I couldn't understand her because this time she was babbling in a different language. I think it was Latin. I only understood one word, "Damnare". That means damn. She also said Draco and Lucius a few times. She mentioned a 'Lily' and I don't know who that is. Maybe she meant Lily Evans (now Potter, only she's dead) who was her best friend in school. But why...?_

_Love Jordan_

July 19th

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was Jesse's 21st birthday, only he didn't remember that (he's so forgetful), so his surprise party was a DOUBLE surprise._

_Draco cam down for a few minutes and even wished Jess a happy birthday (he didn't look too happy though, Draco I mean), then he went back to his room all sulky like. At least he didn't try and curse anyone. (And Auntie didn't cry, like last time Draco came into the room.)_

_Love Jordan_

* * *

Draco's Journal: 

July 19th

_It was Jesse's 21st birthday today, and since he's the only one in the house that I don't currently hate, I went downstairs to say happy birthday._

_Mother looked shocked, Jordan looked giddy, Jon was livid (gee, guess he hates me too), and Jesse looked like he'd forgotten that he even had a birthday. Boy is he easy to surprise._

July 21st

_I came downstairs to speak with mother today. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. But... maybe I forgive her. Like she explained today, it's father's fault, not hers._

_Apparently Potter will be here in 10 days, on his birthday. Joy. Mother says he won't even know about the engagement until right before he comes. Ha-ha._

July 30th

_Potter will be here tomorrow. All I have to say is, they can make me marry him (I think...), but they can not make me be nice to him (or even speak to him)._

August 1st

_He's heeerrrre. Hoo-rah. I saw him last night. Showed him to his room, actually. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Maybe I've died and didn't know it because everyone has that expression around me anymore (ok, just mother and Potter). Mother got all cozy with him right away. Made cookies and all. Maybe she should marry him._

-tbc-

* * *


	6. Collisions

A.N. Y'all are gonna love me! O.k. not really, but the plot is actually moving semi-forward. Yeaahhhhh...Sooo this took a while to update, but yesterday (Tues. 2/22) the power was out (and those -beep-s dinnit send us home... the nerve) and the day before (Mon. 2/21) was a holiday and I don't do the weekend thang (no comp. My home comp. is riddled with viruses and hates me anywho). SO, I'm gonna try and update once a week (depending on how long the chapter is, how many chapters there will ultimately be, whether there's power or not, if it's a short week and if I'm on spring break). Is that good with you? I do hope so, because that's the way it's going to be.

Wow, this chapter went a lot differently than planned. I dinnit know that I was going to add the "name-calling" but, it works, so... this chapter may be a bit OOC but... I lost my train of thought... nope, there it is, it crashed and killed the 200 brain cells that were riding in it. Ha-ha j/k:D

This is an advertisement! Please visit my joint account with Blooper Queen. It is Remus x Gen! Please!

Thanks to Cerdo Volador, who is translating this into Spanish (the language I failed ;;)! If anyone wants to translate this fic (or any other one) into any language, just ask me, I'd be SUPER grateful! THANK YOU!

A.N. August 2nd

* * *

Chapter 6-Collisions 

Draco sighed. As much as he had protested against it, his mother had insisted on personally teaching him Latin every summer. She had said that it would help him remember spells, and besides, it was nice to know multiple languages. He'd protested that Latin was a dead language, but to know avail

He rounded the corner and smacked straight into someone. Guess who? "Geez, watch where you're going Potter!"

Harry stood up from where he'd been knocked down to and brushed himself off. "Same to you, Malfoy," he said coldly.

Draco glared at him and tried to stand up, but found that his right ankle was quite unwilling to participate. With a great deal of effort, he finally righted himself, but wobbled a little. He must have sprained his ankle somehow.

He shot another glare at Harry, who seemed to have realized that he was injured and looked mildly amused by the fact, and took a cautious step.

He knew that he was going to fall before he actually did. He braced for the impact, but it never came. It seemed that, on instinct, when Harry saw that Draco was going to fall, he reached out to steady him.

Harry, realizing what he had just done, jerked his hands back, stared at them in horror, then jammed them into his jean's pockets.

Draco, shaking of the momentary shock, snapped, "I don't need your help Potter!"

Harry shrugged."Whatever. Where's the library?"

"Geez, didn't Jordan show you yesterday?"

"I forgot."

"It's back the way you just came," Draco told him grudgingly. Wait. The library was where he was headed for Latin lessons... "Why...?" he asked suspiciously.

"Narcissa insisted on teaching me Latin," Harry replied.

Damn. "Lucky me..." Draco muttered under his breath. This was just like his mother, playing cupid.

"So how far that way is the library?"

"Not very."

Harry accepted this as a good enough answer, turned and walked back the way he had come.

Draco took a step to follow him, as he needed to go to the library as well (as much as he didn't want to..), but his ankle gave way and he collapsed to his knees. He now had very few choices, and none of them were particularly dignified. He could a.) crawl to the library, b.) ask for help, or c.) wait for one of his cousins to stroll by. He didn't have time to decide though, because there was a hand in his face.

Draco looked up at Harry. "Wha-"

"Well, you can't get up on your own can you?" Harry asked shortly.

Draco glared at him begrudgingly, but took the other boy's hand and allowed himself to be helped up. Soon he found himself limping to the library while leaning on his betrothed for support.

"I hate you," Draco said suddenly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're so immature."

Draco clenched his teeth in rage and would have cursed Harry, had he not desperately needed his support.

Just before they entered the library Harry stopped,. turned to Draco, and calmly asked, "Have you ever stopped to wonder why we hate each other?"

* * *

Narcissa nearly cried when she saw Draco and Harry enter the library together, not because her son was injured, but because the boys were actually touching. Draco looked pained, dumbstruck and thoughtful and Harry's face was blank. 

"Draco twisted his ankle," Harry told Narcissa.

Draco whirled his head around to stare at Harry. This was the first time that he'd heard Harry call him by his first name and he was stunned speechless. All he could do was keep opening and shutting his mouth as though he had something to say, but it just wasn't coming out.

"Stop that," Harry told him sharply as he deposited him into a chair. "You look like a fish."

Draco was about to argue that he most certainly did not, but was interrupted by a sharp sudden pain in his ankle. "Don't do that!" he snapped at his mother who had accidentally jiggled his foot while inspecting his ankle.

Narcissa shot a glare at her son and continued to check his injured ankle. Finally she announced, "It's just a sprain." She paused, then continued, "I could heal it... but I'm not going to."

Draco stared at his mother, jaw dropped. "W-why not?"

Narcissa stood up from where she had been kneeling and looked her stunned son in the eyes. "Because this is a humbling experience for you," she told him," and you need as many of those as you can get."

"What do you mean?" Draco demanded.

"I mean, you've turned into an arrogant little prick just like your father. And frankly, I'm sick of the way you treat everyone. You're rude, mean hateful, I've already said arrogant, but I'll say it again, arrogant and disrespectful."

Draco stared at her in silent angry shock.

"Oh, yes," Narcissa added. "And you're vain. I can't _believe_ you turned out this way. I didn't think that your father was around to influence you this much, but obviously, I was terribly mistaken. So, until you stop acting like you're better than everyone else, don't expect _anyone_ in this house to do _anything_ for you. That includes cooking your meals, healing you and helping you to your room. Maybe you'll learn to be more appreciative." And with a crack, Narcissa Disapparated.

Harry gulped. Obviously it was _not_ a good idea to make Narcissa mad. He glanced over at Draco, who looked very much like he'd been slapped hard. Very hard.

After Draco got over the utter shock of his mother's little 'name-calling-fest', he realized that he was, once again, in a tough position. How was he to get to his room? He really should stay off his ankle until he healed it (the spell for healing was in his room) and he couldn't be Apparating, it was too risky because he was injured. Flooing was also out of the question because it required concentration and- oh yeah- standing.

"I guess this means no Latin," Harry said. Draco nodded. "Well, let's go," he said, walking over to Draco.

"What?"

"Well..." Harry said slowly. "How are you going to get to your room if I don't help you?"

"But mother practically forbid anyone to help me," Draco protested.

"No, she didn't" Harry argued. "She just said don't expect anyone to help you. So, do you want my help or not?"

Draco almost snapped that he didn't need anyone's help, but stopped himself because that was simply not true. "Yes please," he said reluctantly.

Harry helped Draco up and put his arm around the blonde's waist to support him, while making sure that Draco's arm was around his own shoulders. "Where's your room?" he asked.

"Down the hall, just a bit past yours."

"They walked (or limped) in silence until they reached Draco's door. Draco let go of Harry and, grabbing the door frame for support, turned to him. "I don't know," he said.

"What?" Harry asked puzzledly.

"You asked me why we hate each other," Draco explained," and I thought about it and I don't know."

"Just think about it some more," Harry said. "I know you'll get it."

Then it dawned on him, right then and there. "Because that's how we were raised!"

"That's right," said Harry nodding. "It's how we were raised. So... why don't we start over?"

"Start... over?" Draco repeated.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Pretend that we've just met."

"That sounds-" Draco stopped himself right before he said 'stupid'. This being nice thing was going to take some work.

"- silly." he finished. "But, o.k."

"Good. Hi, I'm Harry Potter and I'm a 16-year-old wizard," said Harry shaking Draco's free hand.

"Erm, nice to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy.

-tbc-

* * *

A.N. Awwww! Oh, can you tell I've got a thing with Latin yet? I thought so. Yeah... 

OMG! I'm Key Club President now! YES-punches the air- Let's celebrate! Cookies all around-hands out cookies and butterbeer-


	7. Visitation

Update (5/26): I apologize for my negligence! Gomen nasai! I have so much going on... and I hate to admit it, but I lost chapter 8... It was one of those chapters that wasn't originally planned... I woke up at like, 2 in the morning, and went "Holy SHIT!" and wrote out that chapter. Then I woke up in the morning and was like.. "Did I write that? Damn, it's good!" Then after typing half of it, I promptly lost it and I have to rewrite it. I apologize! -low bow- Forgive me! It will be worth the wait! I swear...

* * *

3-28-05: Yes. I'm 'updating'. Adding a very pissed off author's note, that is... Oh, dear, I'm angry enough to hurt someone I'm afraid. I think that a certain website should justshove it's new rating system up it's own arse... -mad-. Grrr... I... have nothing else to say on this subject, except I had to up the rating a tad...-goes to stab VERY sharp objects into the wall-

* * *

A.N. -sitting over in the corner eating a blueberry muffin- Oh, hi! Erm… muffin? -sigh- Yes I know, it took me forever and a day to get this posted…-hangs head- I have a kagillion excuses, but you probably don't want to hear them. I'm sorry. Forgive me?

One of the main "reasons" is that I had chapters 7 and 8 written in 1-2 page chunks of important events that I knew needed to happen… but I wasn't sure of the order until last night (And when I was finally sure of the order, it took me a while to write it out because my sister slammed my right hand in the car door and I'm a tad slower at writing with my left.)

Soooo.. without further ado…

But first:

The-Ever-Lazy-One: Thanks, I love criticism, believe it or not (as long as it's constructive). Here's Harrry's sorta-kinda break down and your Narcissa question thangy is answered.

Kisa Ryu-san: Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. The evil pen of impending doom! I love it. BTW, my mom said maybe for Wednesday or Thursday. Call me when you get back. Oh, and thanks for listening to this ahead of time.

TheSecretCharacter: Yeah, Key Club is a community service organization. We have a GSA too. I'm in it, believe it or not. Oh, did you ever e-mail me about your theories? Cause if you did, I never got it.

Ryo-sama: I don't blame you for being busy. I still love you. What time are you coming over on Fri? Call me.

EVERYONE: HAPPY EASTER!

Soooo.. without further ado… (again lol)

* * *

Chapter 7- Visitation 

At about mid-afternoon, Harry decided to go to 12 Grimmauld Place to see his friends.

"I'm going home for a bit," he announced to Narcissa, who was reading in the den.

"Be back in time for dinner," she replied. "Oh and Harry? You helped Draco back to his room, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," Harry answered honestly. Was she mad?

Narcissa stared at him for a second, then broke into a grin, winked at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

Harry gave her a confused look, the, grabbing a fistful of Floo powder, tossed it into the fireplace and said, "12 Grimmauld Place!" He stepped into the fireplace whilst wondering if Narcissa's little name calling fest had been merely a matchmaking ploy, or was she really mad at Draco? Knowing Narcissa, it was probably a combination of the two.

The room was empty when Harry arrived, so he exited it to wander the halls. The first person he ran into was Remus, who engulfed him in a huge hug.

"Harry!" Remus said. "Welcome home. How are you?"

"Good," Harry answered truthfully. "Good. Narcissa is really nice. She cooks well too. Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"I'm glad you're happy," said Remus. "Ron and Hermione are in the dining room with Molly, Ginny and the twins." He sighed wistfully. "I just got them believing my story too…"

"What story?"

"The one where you ran off to be an elephant trainer in the circus."

"WHA-"

"I'm just _kidding_," Remus assured him. "I told them that you'd tell them if you thought that they should know, and they accepted it."

"Thanks," Harry said. He rushed down the hall and into the dining room. "Hey everyone."

"Harry!" Ginny squealed.

"Hi Harry," said Hermione.

"Where were you?" Ron asked. "Remus wouldn't tell us."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, looking up from her work. She looked to be doing Ancient Runes homework because she was busy drawing intricate signs. "He'll tell us if it's any of our business!" Then she went back to her work.

"No, no," Harry said. He took a deep breath. "I was at the Malfoy Manor."

"WHAT!" Ron yelled. The others reacted just about as well. Ginny passed out, George began choking on whatever he'd been eating, Fred dropped his (empty) plate (which shattered), and Mrs. Weasley spit out her mouthful of water (she'd been taking a drink). Hermione's facial features hadn't changed, but her hand had jerked violently to the right, causing her to draw a heavy black line straight off her parchment and onto the table.

Tonks entered the room at that exact moment, and, seeing Ginny on the floor, rushed to revive her.

"What happened here?" she asked as Ginny began to come around.

"Oh, I told them that I'd been at the Malfoy Manor," Harry answered hesitantly.

Tonks made a disgusted sound. "Why were you over _there_?"

"Welllll…" Harry paused, trying to decide whether or not to say it. Tonks' raised eyebrow persuaded him to continue. "Cause…. I'm engaged to Draco Malfoy."

This reigned in another mass bad reaction. Ginny passed out _again_, accompanied this time by Mrs. Weasley and George (who'd never stopped choking). Fred dropped his new plate and rushed to help his twin and Ron was making nonsensical noises. Hermione had inadvertantly performed some unfocused magic and her quill had burst into flames, causing her to singe her hand and begin muttering a solid stream of curses (luckily her wand was safely in her pocket).

Tonks wrinkled her nose and her short purple hair turned puke green. "Ugh. Does Dumbledore know?"

"Ummm, I suppose he probably does," Harry answered. He hadn't really thought about it before. "But, I'm not sure."

"Oookay, let's make this a tad easier," Tonks said as she changed her hair back to it's lavender color. "Who do you know knows?"

Harry considered this carefully. "Well, me, everyone in this room, Draco, Narcissa, Lucius, Remus, my mum…. and I think Jordan, Jesse and Jonathan Lestrange know. Not sure about them…."

"Let me get this straight," said Tonks. "A small portion of my family, the majority of your family, most of the Weasleys, Remus, and Hermione know that you're going to marry my evil cousin?"

"Well, uh, yeah, you could put it that way," Harry agreed.

Ron finally came back from the land of extreme shock and asked, "Why?"

Harry shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably as he realized that he didn't really want anyone to know that his mother had done anything that was less than perfect.

"Is someone forcing you?" Ginny asked as she sat up.

"Are you under a spell?" Hermione asked.

"Hey, yeah," Ginny said. "Maybe that's it. Did someone put a spell on you?"

"I bet it was Lucius Malfoy," Fred volunteered.

"Or that evil Lestrange woman," Ron said.

As he watched them try to piece it together, feelings that Harry didn't even know he had made their presences known. Looking back, he still doesn't know what came over him.

"Shut-up," he said. No one heard him, as they were too preoccupied. That just added fuel to the fire. "SHUT-UP!" Harry screamed.

An odd scilence fell over the room as everyone looked at Harry on shock. The last time anyone had seen Harry this enraged was a whole year ago, before fifth year (dismissing, of course, the end of the year episode in Dumbledore's office).

"Did it ever occur to you," Harry began in a quietly furious voice, "that you are all wrong? Did it even cross your minds to just let me answer the stupid question?" He paused to stare at each and every one of them in turn.

"No. No, it obviously did not," he answered for them. "You know what else must have never occurred to you close-minded people? Hmmm? Perhaps the fact that I might _want_ to marry Draco Malfoy!"

Everyone in the room (except Mrs. Weasley who was still unconscious, and Tonks) looked like he or she had been personally betrayed.

Tonks stood up and set a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I think you should go now."

Harry nodded silently and turned and left. He was halfway down the hall whe he heard his name.

"Harry!" Hermione called. Harry turned around. "You know, if you ever want to tell me, I'll listen." Harry nodded and left.

-tbc-

* * *

A.N. Seems like Harry is lashing out at the wrong people, ne? Poor boy doesn't even know quite what he's saying. Tsk, tsk. Well, you'll have to wait an extra week for chapter 8, but it's a doozie. You'll like it. Buh-bye for now! 


	8. Dinner With Destiny, Dance With Fate

**REPOST with added Author's Note!**

_**AN: **As many of you have probably not been to my profile lately, you wouldn't know that ALL chaptered fics (except S&R) are on hiatus until I get a beta (or 3). A story will only continue once it has a beta. If you would like to apply, EMAIL (not p.m.) me with a subject of: Beta for (insert fic initial. ex. SIB or TOM). _

_P.S. Thanks and hugs to all of my reviewers! I love you all!_

_¬ ¬_

Chapter 8- _Dinner with Destiny, Dance With Fate_

Harry was dreaming, that much he could tell straight off. He groaned inwardly. This was bad. The last time he'd had a dream, it had caused everyone trouble.

This dreamed seemed different though. The more and more he saw, the less and less likely it seemed that Voldemort or Nagini would just pop up.

For one thing, the room was well lit. Chandeliers, candles, fireplace, you name it. For another… it was a large dining room. Now who is going to attack you in a large, well-lit dining room? No one. Exactly.

As his eyes scanned the room for a second time, he noticed something that wasn't there before. Someone actually. At the end of the long table sat a relatively young woman. Her long brunette curls framed her thin face perfectly and her amber eyes danced in the light. She was dressed in an ancient Roman type toga and wore golden sandals on her feet.

Glancing down at himself, Harry realized for the first time that he was dressed similarly in a toga virilis.

"Welcome," the woman said. "I am Destini. Please, sit."

"Destiny?" Harry asked. Four seconds into the conversation and he was already confused.

"No dear," Destini said, shaking her head and laughing joyously. "With a 'i'." She made a slashing and poking motion in the air with her finger that resembled an 'i'.

"Oh," Harry said, feeling rather stupid. It felt as though speech bubbles were appearing above his head as he spoke and Destini could read them.

"Sit down," said Destini for the second time.

Harry sat down in a chair next to Destini. Destini wave a manicured hand and a feast appeared on the table. "Eat," she urged him as she filled her own plate with everything ranging from chicken to watermelon.

Harry needed not be told twice. Dream this may be, but he was realistically hungry.

"So Harry," Destini said once they'd finished eating. "How do you like it here?"

"Where is here?" Harry asked.

"Nowhere really," Destini answered offhandedly. "Makes no difference."

"Well… then why am I here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see firsthand how you were doing," Destini replied. "You are one of our biggest clients you know."

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "I don't. You said 'our', as in plural… who is 'our'?"

"Me and my sister, of course," she said. "You'll meet Fayte later, I'm sure. She'll want to talk to you as well. So, how are you doing Harry?"

"Fine…" Harry answered cautiously. "Who are you?"

Destini looked momentarily puzzled. "I told you. I am Destini. It's my name and profession you know."

"Not sure I do," he said as he re-inspected her.

Destini sighed. "Basically," she said. "I am the one who provides prophecies and allows mortals to See."

"You allow us to see?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No sweetie… I allow you to See," she corrected. "There is a difference between seeing and Seeing."

"Oh, is there?"

"Yes, there is. And you my dear, are a Seer."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. She merely smiled at him, and the room slowly disappeared, along with the mysterious brunette called Destini.

A new room gradually slid into focus. It was a large, elegant ballroom, and Harry was surrounded by extravagantly dressed dancing couples.

A blonde haired woman wearing a Victorian England style ball gown walked up to him and grabbed both of his hands. She placed one of his hands on her waist, one of her hands on his shoulder and held his other hand firmly in her own.

"I am Fayte," she said gracefully as she began to lead him through the steps of a waltz.

Harry groaned. "Destini and Fate."

"No Harry. Fayte, not Fate," the blonde corrected. She looked into his malachite eyes, which were the same color of her own, and said very seriously, "You dance like an untrained monkey."

"I've never really danced before," Harry said dryly as he accidentally stepped on her foot.

"Lair," said Fayte. "Fourth year. You took Parvati Patil and you danced."

"Not for very long," he argued.

"But still…" Fayte trailed off. "How are you?"

"Fine," Harry answered. Why do you care?"

Fayte smiled wryly. "Because you're a very important person, that's why."

"You're sister said that too," Harry commented. Amazingly, his dancing was getting better as he went.

"Did she?"

"Yes, she did."

Fayte chuckled. "Well, we are sisters. Anyway, how is Dracie?"

"Fine."

They danced in silence for a few minutes, then Fayte stopped suddenly. "Lily said that she'll see you on the next new moon."

"Lily? My mother? You spoke to her?" Harry asked frantically.

"Wake up Harry," Fayte said. "You have a visitor." Harry felt a jolt around the area of his stomach and everything went black.

-tbc-

A.N. Now I'm pretty sure that this chapter made not much sense, but it does play a semi-significant part in the bigger story. Next chapter will have fluffiness. :D P.S. Check out my new story: Taking Over Me!


	9. Visitors

A.N. It is now August 3.

P.S.A.N. Gomen nasai! I've been a bad, lazy author! I hope you like this!

_A special THANK YOU to my wonderful new Beta _MariNoir, _who motivated me to finished this chapter without even knowing it!_

Chapter 9- Visitors

Harry awoke suddenly the next morning when he heard a loud noise in his room. He tried to sit up, but something heavy on his chest was preventing him from doing so.

"Where am I?" a voice that Harry recognized to be Draco's asked.

"In my room," Harry replied in a rather squished tone of voice. It was getting sort of tough to breath, as Draco wasn't exactly light.

"Who said that?" Draco demanded. Then, "Is that you Po- I mean- Harry?"

"Yes," Harry managed. "Nowgetoffame."

"Huh? Oh." Harry felt the weight lifted from his chest as Draco moved off of him. "Sorry," he murmured sheepishly.

"I see you've repaired your sprained ankle," Harry commented wryly.

"How can you see _anything_ in here? It's so dark."

"I meant that if you're Apparating then..." Harry trailed off. "Never mind. How can you Apparate anyway? You're underage, so it's illegal."

"This is an Unplottable private property, plus it's highly protected, so legality simply isn't an issue," Draco explained. "I suppose someone shall teach you eventually."

"Umm, right. So why are you in my room?" Harry asked.

"Well, I miscalculated, I suppose," Draco said. "See, your room is right above the kitchen."

"So you were aiming for the kitchen and missed?"

"Welll..." Draco said, "yes. I'm leaving now."

"Suits me." Then Harry was alone again. He had just drifted back to sleep when he heard someone say his name.

"Potter," Draco said. Harry rolled over. "Harry, get up."

"Nooo," Harry whined. "I don't wanna." But in truth, he only got as far as 'I don' when he was rudely interrupted by Draco, who had decided that jumping up and down on Harry's bed was the best way to make him get up.

"How old are you, four?" Harry asked as he lobbed a pillow at Draco. That was a Bad Idea. Draco caught the pillow and with a 'whap' initiated a very childish pillow fight.

A couple of minutes later, Draco sunk down onto the bed in exhaustion. He lay down so that his head was next to Harry's on the now pillow-less bed.

Harry rolled over so that they were facing each other and his breath caught in his throat. Draco had his eyes closed and his white-blonde hair was in disarray.

_Stupid!_ he silently chastised himself. _He's your enemy, right? Isn't he? Wait... No..._

Draco opened his eyes to stare at the brunette that lay mere inches from him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the confusion that was prominently displayed across the Gryffindor's face. It made Harry look so innocent, almost child-like.

It caught both boys off guard when Narcissa knocked on the door. By the time she entered the room, Draco had already Disapparated.

"Harry?" Narcissa asked, "You ok? You look winded."

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. "Did you want something?"

"Yes. You have a visitor," she told him. "I sent Draco up to tell you... but I guess he never made it..."

"No," Harry lied, "he didn't. Who is it?"

"Hermione Granger," Narcissa said. "She's down in the dining room. You can just Apparate."

"Umm… right. Actually, I think I'll just walk," Harry said.

"Oh. You do know how to Apparate, don't you?" she asked.

"No. No, not really," he answered.

"Oh, dear," Narcissa said with a sigh. "Well, I'll teach you later, ok? But for now... your guest."

"Right," Harry replied. Narcissa nodded and left. Harry threw on the first outfit he could find, which was about two sizes too big. Oh, well. That's what belts are for.

When he got down to the dining room, Hermione was just standing there sort of awkwardly, twiddling her thumbs and staring at her feet.

"'Mione?" Harry asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to--- Harry! You're a mess!" Hermione exclaimed. "Did you even brush your hair?"

"Well… you sorta came at a weird time and..." he trailed off, knowing that he probably sounded a little lame. "Uh, pillow fight?"

"Pillow fi-" Hermione stopped, one eyebrow raised. "Never mind. Is there someplace where we could talk?"

"We're talking right now," Harry pointed out.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Privately."

"Oh, sure," said Harry, though he personally didn't see the problem with holding a "private" conversation in the dining room, as no one was there but them anyway. "I guess we could go up to my room."

"Okay," Hermione agreed. "Lead the way."

Once safely in Harry's room, Hermione took a deep breath and plunged into a speech. "Harry, you know I love you; you're my best friend. It's just... you've been acting strange. It kind of scares me. I want to know what's going on. If something's wrong, I want to help. But I can't do that if you don't talk to me. I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. It was uncalled for, but you have to admit, what you said was a big shock. It was so sudden and so... unlike you. Please help me understand what's going on."

Harry let out a little sigh. "Hermione, I would love to tell you, but I'm not completely sure myself. I can try to explain, but... where should I start?"

Hermione smiled. "As clichéd as it sounds, the beginning is usually a good place to start from."

The brunette rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "That's not as easy as it sounds. Let's see. I suppose it started with the letter."

"Letter?" Hermione prompted.

"Yeah," said Harry. "On my birthday, I was the last one awake, aside from Remus. Remus came into the room with Hedwig and a letter. The letter... it was from my mother."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "But your mother is dead."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure how Hedwig got the letter, it must have been time-activated or something, I don't really understand, but it doesn't matter. The letter said... well, here," he dug through his trunk and passed the letter to her. "Go on, read it."

Hermione silently examined the letter. When she finished, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Harry..."

Harry looked away. "I left right away. Narcissa's been great. She was my mum's best friend, you know. And Draco... he's different. He's grown up a lot since first year. He was raised by a prejudiced maniac, but now that it's just him and Narcissa... I'm not saying that I _want_ to marry him, I just said that before because I was mad, but he's not half bad. We kinda started over. And I don't blame my mum. I blame Lucius, because it is his fault. I just don't know what to tell everyone." He looked back at his best friend. "My mum wasn't a bad person. I don't want anyone to think that."

Hermione considered all that she'd just heard. "What are you going to do now?"

"Stay here," Harry answered. "Get to know Draco. Marry him eventually. What else can I do?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered honestly. "There's got to be a loophole or something. I'm going to help you Harry. Nothing is definite. We can fight this."

Harry gave her a resigned look. "I've been fighting my whole life 'Mione. Maybe this was just meant to be. Maybe we should just let well enough alone."

"Don't say that Harry!" she exclaimed. "We're going to find a way."

"Thanks 'Mione," Harry said.

"If only…" the girl lamented aloud.

"If only?" Harry repeated curiously.

"Nothing," Hermione responded with a sad shake of her head. "Lily Potter is dead, her secrets and knowledge buried with her."

"Not completely," Harry said. "I can talk to her. I'm going to on the next new moon."

"What?" Hermione cried out. "Harry, that's wonderful! When you see her, you should ask her some questions..."

After talking for an hour or so, Harry managed to gather up enough courage to ask his best friend, "So... Hermione? How- uh- how did the others react to- you know- my outburst? Once it'd settle in, that is."

Hermione cleared her throat and looked wistful. "Well... Ron and I had a... loud discussion..."

Ron and Hermione had been having "loud discussions" since fourth year. According to Hermione, they never fought. They discussed loudly. And frequently.

"You had a row?" Harry asked. "About me?"

"Not a _row_!" Hermione glared at The Boy Who Lived. "A _loud discussion_." Harry gave her a Look and she sighed. "... Okay, so maybe it was a row. He got a bit _shirty _with me when I suggested that he work on turning his teaspoon into a measuring cup and be a little more supportive of you. Ginny forgives you. For what, I not quite sure. She wanted to come with me, but I didn't want to overwhelm you, so she's probably sulking. Tonks seems to be over-carefully disinterested. I think she'd be very sympathetic and even helpful if you chose to confide in her. Malfo-- Draco-- is her cousin after all. Molly... needs time. She sees you like a son. I'm not sure about the twins though. I haven't seen them since you left. They took off."

Harry nodded. "Thanks Hermione." He stood from his chair and pulled her from hers into a hug. "For everything."

"No problem Harry," she replied. "This is what friends are for."

A knock at the door forced them to pull apart. "Harry?" It was Narcissa. "Lunch."

"Okay," Harry called to her. "Hermione's still here. Can she stay for lunch?"

"Of course." They could hear the smile in her voice. "Wash up and head downstairs."

-tbc-

A.N. Weeeeeellllll?


End file.
